Shots Fired
by CaveDwellers
Summary: In which Sapphire and Ruby go from being fusion fodder, to leaders, to political dissidents, and fall in love somewhere along the way. [cross-posted on AO3]
1. Sapphire Squared

**A/N: This Rupphire origins story is my NaNo for this year! I'm going to use it to explore some of the more... unorthodox meta I've had bouncing around in my head since Guide To the Crystal Gems and the Barn Arc dropped, which means that longtime readers should leave 99% of the headcanons from United I Stand/Containment Unit 6 at the door. CaveDwellers is starting from scratch, baby, and this is gonna be big! I'm really excited to be working on this story!**

 **Of course, that being said, this chapter was really hard to write for some reason. Eh, I'm sure it'll get better as the month goes on.**

 **Fun fact: Goshenites are a type of beryl. They are 7.5-8 in Mohs, and they are colorless. They are also not considered very valuable.**

* * *

Her message had been shaky and panicked. She called instead of submitting a request through the system because this is apparently an emergency.

If it were an actual emergency, Sapphire wouldn't be shuffling along the way she is, with large-limbed semiprecious gems flanking her either side like this is some kind of prison transfer, taking a single step for her every three. There is a quarter of a mile between the extraplanetary warp pad and their destination, but Sapphire's companions—both goshenites, durable but decidedly low-value guard-class gems—keep a leisurely pace. They seem at ease, for the moment. Sapphire can See that they will not hesitate to become violent the moment she tries to rush, and so she matches their speed more or less complacently. If this actually were urgent, Sapphire would have found a way to already be there.

Nevertheless, if it makes the sapphire overseeing gem-controlled planet 3123 in star system Gamma feel better to call this a dire situation, then power to her. It's not going to make the two lumbering beryls move any faster, and it certainly isn't going to make Sapphire herself break into a run.

Sapphire and the corundum just down the hall are of the same rank and class, identical in all but color. They are precious gems with a Mohs of 9; aside from the Diamonds, with their Mohs of 10, there is no position more coveted in this society. In theory, they should be treated the same, but this is not so in practice. Sapphire has never been told to act as an extension of Blue Diamond's authority and will, and she has never been given oversight on the research and development being conducted on a gem controlled planet. In all likelihood, she never will. The Diamond Authority doesn't condone asymmetry, after all. If corundums weren't so rare and difficult to manufacture, Sapphire probably would have been harvested a long time ago.

It's not prescience as much as watchful security cameras that cue Golden Sapphire to throw open the double doors to the 3123's Council chamber a scant fifteen seconds before their trio reaches it.

"What took you so long?" Gold demands, the rich yellow cushion-cut gem at her forehead gleaming in the gem-powered lights set into the domed ceiling above their heads. The goshenites secure the Diamond Authority embossed doors while Sapphire glances at the ruby and emerald who make up the rest of planet 3123's Council. Aside from the three Councilmember's pearls standing alert and glamorous in their pastels off to the side, they are the only souls in the room.

Sapphire knows that no one can see where she's looking from behind her bangs, but that doesn't quite explain how the other Councilmembers frown as if _she_ can't see _them_. They obviously know who she is, but they act as if they have never seen any one or thing like her she weren't so used to this treatment, it might have been insulting.

To be fair, this is Sapphire's first time visiting 3123, but surely she isn't the first exponent to have been summoned here. Right?

There again, she thinks as she studies the emerald's projection, and then the ruby's. A gem's personal style is often an inadvertent showcase of her model, and these gems are fashionable, so it is very possible that they're all actually quite young. Sapphire knows that planet 3123 is a fairly recent acquisition by the Authority, and corundums and emeralds are not simple to manufacture. Perhaps she is the first exponent that this particular Council has seen after all.

"Why are you so concerned about the southern end of the continent?" asks Sapphire. It isn't actually her intent to ignore Gold's earlier remark (though, she must admit, the remark was utterly useless); she's simply already forgotten about it in favor of the task at hand. Jumping forward about a minute and a half into the conversation is a courtesy to everyone, really.

3123's Councilmembers exchange a glance, begrudgingly impressed, before Golden Sapphire speaks. She doesn't seem insulted by the subject change. Like most sapphires, she is strongly task oriented. "The injector drill damage in that area is uncommonly high, and we are also currently experiencing misbehavior from previously subdued locals in that sector. We want to know a) if the two issues are mutually exclusive, and b) if knowing how the situation will escalate could help us retroactively figure out the answer to A. The quickest and most efficient way to answer both of those questions would be to combine my knowledge of this planet with your ability."

Well, she's not wrong. Sapphire hardly thinks Gold's use of the emergency alert was appropriate, but Sapphire is already here. Might as well make the trip worthwhile.

It's not like she actually has a choice, anyway.

"Alright." Sapphire holds out her gem free hand.

There is an uncomfortable pause. The emerald Councilmember clears her throat. "Uh, right now?"

"Why wait?" asks Sapphire. Her fingers, blue and gloveless, flex slightly. "Don't you want answers?"

"She's got a point," the ruby says. She immediately shuts her mouth with a sharp click of her projection's teeth. It's clear she doesn't understand where the urge to agree with an exponent came from.

Gold flashes her fellow Councilmember a somewhat withering look, but by then she has taken a hold of Sapphire's fingers.

Gold is a full head taller than her, at least, and her hand is nearly twice as big, but Sapphire is used to taking the lead. She pulls Gold in and around in a circle, waltzing chastely. Gems can combine with their own sister-gems, but it is not a common practice. She is used to being another sapphire's first exponentiation, and she's found that waltz' are quick to learn and quite efficient at synchronizing the resonance of their gemstones.

"Relax your shoulders," Sapphire instructs, her voice uncompromising but not unkind. "Focus on the wavelength coming from my gem. Envision your own falling into place with it. They are very similar; this should be easy. Remember, our bodies are only illusions. It's like shapeshifting."

Once Gold's gem has begun to glow, Sapphire levitates to make twirling and dipping her fellow corundum easier. They are consumed by a brief flash of white light, and in the next moment they are still standing there, only bigger. They are also now a green sapphire, due to the interaction of Sapphire's blue and Gold's yellow.

Gold shies away from Sapphire's prescience after she notices it—and how can she not? They exist side by side within the same body now. This, of course, translates to their combined projection physically shying away from what looks to be nothing at all. Sapphire quickly reestablishes control over the form and makes it stand still. Gold can still take over the controls, so to speak, but Sapphire doesn't think she will due to inexperience and a flustered demeanor. She can't peer into the other corundum's mind—they are still themselves, after all; they've just combined their power for this projection—but Sapphire's done this enough to recognize the signs when she sees them.

"So that's exponentiation," mutters the emerald Councilmember. She's gazing at them with big, bright green eyes, torn between wonder and revulsion.

"Well?" asks the ruby expectantly. "Can you See the answers?"

"Oh, right," Gold says through their combined mouth. Their three eyes blink, and then Sapphire closes the third and starts to look.

Golden Sapphire was only half right when she said that looking into the future with her knowledge of local people and customs would be what they had to gain from this. They're much, much stronger when their projections are combined—there is a reason the technique is called exponentiation and not addition. Sapphire's future vision is no exception. She can see farther down the path of fate than usual, and she can concentrate for longer.

There is, in fact, some guerrilla warfare going on. When Yellow Diamond's military squadrons swept through the planet exterminating any and all possible threats to the Kindergarten that would soon be installed, they missed a spot. Small wonder why, as this particular race is subterranean. They typically exist deep, deep within the planet's crust, only venturing to the surface when they feel particularly threatened.

Apparently, injecting gems into the ground to incubate is threat enough.

Unfortunately, Gold didn't even know these people existed, much less enough to provide a lens with which to see them through. Sapphire can feel her demeanor turning sour as she registers her own uselessness in this situation.

"The guerrilla warfare will continue, and escalate over time," Sapphire tells the rest of the council through her shared mouth. "I see a subterranean race initiating a full-blown revolt against gemkind. I see them destroying the Kindergarten and incubating gems. I see them discovering that the only real way to harm gemkind is to damage the hardware in our gems, and I see their people becoming quite good at it. I see this escalating until even Yellow Diamond herself is challenged by their tactics. They are quite a resourceful people, particularly when spurned."

"Oh, my stars," whispers the emerald, covering her lips with her fingers.

"Well, now that we know about it, we'll also know how to crush them before any of that can start," says the ruby. Rubies are direct representatives of Yellow Diamond's military branch of the Authority, so this is a fairly standard response. "What are their weaknesses?"

"Very few," says Sapphire. She is calm. This is not the first time she's witnessed potential destruction of this magnitude. "They exist close to the molten core of this planet, and have tough, thick exoskeletons to protect themselves from the heat. They are accustomed to working with very little space and breathable air, and while they are tireless to begin with they are even more invigorated by the environment on the surface, though they do dislike wide open spaces as a general rule." She pauses, and hums. On the other side of their shared body, Golden Sapphire makes a small noise of apprehension. Sapphire lets her do what she wants, as long as she doesn't withdraw her energy contribution. She couldn't know details as intricate and faraway as this on her own. "They have no defenses against ice; the cold is unlike anything they've ever encountered. Calling upon such elementals as sapphires and aquamarines for a preemptive military strike might scare them back into the earth."

" 'Might'?" The ruby slams her fist on the Council's table interface, and every pearl except for her own startles. "That's not good enough! What else could happen?"

"They could also fight back," says Sapphire. "From here, one outcome just as likely as the other."

"So what is our best option?"

"Obviously, stopping the sabotage is the first priority. Not allowing them to find out that poofing isn't truly death for our kind is next. They don't like the cold, and they don't like open spaces. What you do with that information is not under my jurisdiction. I am not a military advisor."

"Is there anything else you can tell us?" asks the emerald anxiously. "Anything at all?"

Sapphire considers, gazing towards fate's metaphorical horizon and feeling nothing about any of the outcomes she sees, and then finally says, "Move quickly and decisively. They are a people who take advantage of hesitation."

At Sapphire's behest, Gold is only too eager to leave the exponentiation. She stumbles when she is deposited back onto her own two feet, and then pats at her projection as if to reassure herself that it is still the way she likes it. Sapphire floats neatly to the cobbled stone floor, unbothered by the sudden compactness of her form in the way that only professional exponents can be.

"If that is all you require," she says, inclining her head because it's polite and required of her.

"Wait," says the emerald, blinking in confusion. "You aren't going to stay to help?"

Sapphire clasps her hands together until she can acutely feel the rhythmic pulsing of her gem pressing against her left palm. Her voice remains slow and deep, does not waver. "Why would I? You already have a sapphire on your planetary Council."

"She's right, we do," exclaims the ruby, pounding her fist on the table-interface once more. "We can handle this ourselves! This is what we were made for, isn't it?"

And just like that, Sapphire is shut out of the conversation. The Precious Council of planet 3123 is already deep in their plans for retaliation and war. Sapphire doesn't mind showing herself out. The goshenites wordlessly fall into step on either side of her as the metal doors slam shut. Were she anyone else, this would be a show of protectiveness instead of watchfulness. Sapphire can feel their tension and discomfort.

After they have warped back to planet 1001 in star system Alpha—Homeworld proper—and Sapphire has been deposited into her quarters, she sits at her table-interface and submits her report to Blue Diamond. After describing the situation and her own actions in crisp, emotionless sentences, she concludes, _The gross oversight from_ _Yellow Diamond's troops now reaps tremendous consequences. The Kindergarten on planet 3123 will fail, and the Precious Council along with their labor force and all of the incubating gems they preside over will be cracked, shattered, or otherwise summarily destroyed. I have Seen their fates with the help of the exponentiation, and fate is unavoidable_.

 _Fortunately, this race will be contented with reclaiming their own planet, and will venture no further into star system Gamma. Further contact with this race will prove similarly disastrous for gemkind. Recommendation: immediately extract all valuable data from the Kindergarten and abandon planet 3123. Doing so will ultimately save gems and labor._

Sapphire sits back in her stool after sending the report, distracted by an upcoming event. Another exponent request is going to reach her interface within the next twenty seconds. It will be a much bigger assignment, one that will take up most of her time and energy. There is no time to grieve for planet 3123 and its inhabitants.

It's just as well, Sapphire thinks; she never Saw any rewarding research coming from that planet, anyway.

* * *

 **A/N: Special thanks to Spatial and Rhinocio for allowing me to send them inhumanly long emails of meta! Seriously, that was a lot to go through; you are both total rockstars :D**


	2. Ruby Squared

**A/N: A quick 'n' dirty update because I'm not sure when my stolen wifi is going to give out, and I am dying to connect with people on the internet again.  
**

 **Additionally, the plot on this story is moving... much quicker than I think I intended. I'm also not terribly... happy with this chapter. Eh, it'll probably feel better the more distance I give.**

* * *

Strictly speaking, Demolition isn't a ruby's job. Knocking down existing structures is, of course, followed immediately by construction, and all of that falls under Pink Diamond. Since rubies report to Yellow Diamond, their prerogative will always be combat first.

The jurisdictional lines between where one Diamond's authority ends and the other's begins can get a little fuzzy, though, Ruby's noticed. Sometimes this is a selective process, and other times it is genuinely hard to tell. For example, Yellow may represent the military arm of the Diamond Authority, but military action generally only takes place on the planets of Pink's choosing, and Pink's choices are based upon Blue's research on ideal conditions for manufacturing specific gem classes.

All of which is to say, there are times when rough-'n'-tumble military gems find themselves becoming demolition experts for a day, because Pink Diamonds gems just don't have the muscle it takes to level out everything on a newly acquired planet so gemkind can start over. Well, they manage after a while, but military-class gems tend to get the job done much quicker.

Ruby was actually called in to help with the extermination phase. Her squares have such massive amounts of raw power that they typically cut the extermination time way down, which was great in this case because this particular planetary acquisition was behind schedule. Though she was only brought in to help with the combat portion of the process, she has conveniently not been given any other assignments these last few days, and she knows Yellow Diamond well enough to sense when she's being nudged to do something off the books.

So now she's part of a demolitions crew. Ruby honestly doesn't mind. Smashing through an obsolete culture's architecture is a great way to grind out the extra energy that's perpetually bubbling below her surface like so much magma. The ruby she's working with—the official precious gem for this planet—keeps screeching in delight from her side of the exponentiation, though she never makes an effort to take control of their arms and legs. It's pretty obvious she doesn't get the chance to let loose like this very often. Even the melee of battle had tasted like duty to her, but this—this is purely gratuitous, and it seems she is a fan of that.

And why wouldn't she be, really? Who doesn't like to let loose every once in a while?

"This structure isn't coming down!" calls a reddish brown bastinite. With a Mohs of 4.5 at the very highest, this gem class isn't suited for a whole hell of a lot. Bastinites are manufactured as engineers, though; they are programmed with an implicit understanding of building and viewing structural integrity—and, apparently, making stupidly obvious remarks about it.

Ruby, who had been punching and kicking in futility at the metal pillar the last reigning species had erected, stops as an idea strikes her. She drops onto one knee and directs her shared hands to splay on the ground, palms flat; she begins to exude heat, to channel it into the ground around the base of the pillar. If brute force won't work, then maybe she can weaken the structure with the element all rubies share. At the very least, perhaps she can make the base of the pillar pliable enough for it to be moved. It's metal, after all, and all metal loses to heat eventually.

It takes a little longer than she expects, admittedly, but perhaps that's just her own impression. Ruby has never been known for her patience. All the same, when she sees the base of the pillar begin to glow red as the ground around it steams with the searing temperature she grins with her shared mouth and leaps. The metal pillar lets out a high pitched groan as the hot metal bends from the brutal force of her impact. It makes quite a nice crash when it falls, too.

In their shared mindspace, the symmetrical, official ruby cackles in delight. She's so naïve; Ruby can't think of a time she had ever felt like that.

Bastinite's reddish-brown palette has gone a little yellow around the edges. "That's, uh, one way to do it," she says, and she even tries to laugh it off, but Ruby recognizes the look in her eyes.

She really, really resents the little gem for it.

"What?" she barks. "You wanted the pillar to go down, and now it is. What's your problem?"

Bastinite doesn't say anything. Her lips purse into a thinly controlled line; Ruby can tell she wants to speak up, but she won't. Low Mohs gems can't speak out against their betters. Even if she disagrees with something, Bastinite is only an engineer. She doesn't have any true authority.

She might have risked it anyway, if she knew which ruby is interacting with her right now—Ruby is only an exponent, after all. Since Bastinite doesn't know which one of them is talking, though, Ruby pretty much has a free pass to do and say whatever she wants. She'll take opportunities like that where she can get it.

Now that the pillar is down, it's quite easy for their exponentiation to heft the fallen architecture over her shoulder and carry it to the steadily growing pile of rubble. There are gems whose sole purpose is to go through mountains of garbage like this in search of salvageable materials. Ruby doesn't employ any finesse in dropping the pillar on top of the rest; it clangs hollow and satisfying against the ruins of old temples and city halls. She cracks her shared knuckles as she turns back to do it all over again with the next one. That hunk of junk never stood a chance against a squared ruby.

* * *

It isn't until two days later, after dozens of broken pillars and one utterly decimated colosseum, that the planet's Councilmember removes herself from the exponentiation and slumps against the nearest inanimate object—in this case, a chair next to the table-interface. The perfectly symmetrical red gem set in the center of her chest glitters in the gem-powered lights of her wing of the newly erected chamber of the Precious Council. Gems don't technically need to sleep, but that doesn't meant they aren't capable of exhaustion.

Her pearl, who has obviously been worrying herself silly the last several days (they've been exponentiated for the last week and a half), coos and fusses about her mistress, producing seemingly random objects from her gem storage in hopes that they might brighten her demeanor. The Councilmember talks over that as if it's not even happening. "And you're completely fine." It's hard to tell whether she is more incredulous or envious. "You're not tired at all."

"This is what I _do,_ remember?" Nevertheless, Ruby rolls her shoulders and bounces on the balls of her feet, frankly glad that her projection is back to normal. She's an exponent, but this was one of her longer runs.

"You should really rest," her pearl continues, either unaware that she is being ignored or simply not caring at this point. "You're nearly pink, you're so pale. It's not proper for a ruby to be pink…"

"You're pretty old, aren't you," the official ruby says. She physically shifts so she can look around her pearl's worriedly flapping hands.

Ruby frowns. She swings her arms around on the pretext of getting used to the feel of them again, but in reality she just needs an outlet for the uncomfortable energy that has begun building in them. "Yeah, and you're pretty young. I don't see the point you're trying to make," she says, and she can't quite keep the guarded edge from her voice. Ruby has always been terrible about keeping her feelings under wraps.

"How many times have you done this?"

"Maybe you should rest in your quarters," her pearl continues, checking her gem for any signs of damage. The official ruby doesn't even seem to notice. "We wouldn't want you to be forced to regenerate."

Ruby is outright scowling now. She doesn't appreciate how personal this is getting. "What does it matter to you?"

The Councilmember's eyes narrow. "It matters because I'm your superior, and I asked you a direct question. My motivations aren't any concern of yours."

After depending so heavily upon Ruby's creativity and assertiveness this last week and a half—after being so blatantly delighted by the power of their exponentiation—she still thinks she can get away with talking like this? Really?

"You've been pushed too far," the pearl fusses, but only after shooting Ruby a truly disdainful glance. "Exponentiation isn't healthy for a gem, especially not for such a long time."

Ruby can't help it. She scoffs. Loudly. "You don't actually think you can intimidate me, do you?"

The Councilmember's pearl stops her blustering to stare, lips parted and expression torn between disapproval and shock.

The Councilmember herself is already on her feet again. She's not leaning against the interface anymore; her stance is wide and strong. What does she think is going to happen? "I _know_ I can. I could have you destroyed, and no one would miss you," she growls out.

Ruby laughs. It's not really an expression of humor; rather, it is a bark of defiance. "You'd miss exponentiation too much, and I'm the only ruby exponent there is."

The pearl gasps and covers her lips with her hand as if this is nothing short of the most scandalous thing she's ever heard. Perhaps it is. The Precious Councilmember is young, after all, and the pearl _was_ made to order on a saltwater farm less than a year after the official ruby forced her way out of the soil.

Yellow Diamond's official representative is grinding her projection's teeth. There is a flash of light, and just like that, her weapon is present. It is a pair of gloves very similar to Ruby's own, except these extend further up her forearms. "Just try me."

"You're too tired!" the pearl protests. "You should rest! Delegate!"

The Councilmember ignores this. She only has eyes for Ruby (and, presumably, her destruction).

Ruby is well and truly provoked now. The air around her is beginning to shimmer with heat. The floor beneath her feet is sheet metal, clinical and, now, rapidly turning as red as her temper. When Ruby's emotions become overwhelming, they translate to her element; it's not something she can necessarily stop, now that it's begun. She's destroyed rooms and buildings this way, simply by feeling too strongly. It's a hassle, a nuisance. It's why she will never be a Councilmember herself.

Just another defect to add to the list.

For all of her flaws, however, Ruby knows how to fight. She knows how to shift her projection so that her gem holding hand is angled as far from her opponent as it can get, and she knows how to dive in and strike hard. Just one hit is enough. The Councilmember is weakened anyway, and her pride would never allow for her to report being roughed up by her own exponent.

The official ruby of this gem forsaken planet crunches into the wall of her own quarters. She isn't really hurt—it takes much more than a single strike to truly damage a gem with a Mohs of 9—but she is stunned.

Ruby doesn't poof her. Perhaps she could, if she tried, but she doesn't finish the job. She just turns on heel and marches out, away from the table interface and away from the gem who thinks she's so much better, just because her projection is symmetrical. A blaze of heat follows her, funneling her through halls and doorways. Making enemies of a sister gem isn't the wisest thing Ruby's ever done, especially since they might have to exponentiate again—knowing Ruby's luck, they probably will—but she can't say she regrets it. Not even a little bit.

Of course, she thinks that until she hears her name and identification number over the intercom. She has to report to the extraplanetary warp station immediately. Her internal fire shivers somewhat with trepidation, but it steadies when she understands the inevitability of this.

She supposes it serves her right, to already be called in for punishment. Just because she doesn't regret picking a fight with an official ruby doesn't mean she isn't aware of the repercussions.

Oh well. It wouldn't be the first time something like this happened, and it certainly won't be the last.


	3. Planet 5872: Initiation

**A/N: What's this, an update? But it's only been a month!  
**

 **I do apologize for the conspicuous lack of my usual updating prowess. I could blame the month-old Project Corundum, which has admittedly consumed a lot of my time and energy. I could also blame the fact that I just moved to a new state and started a new job. None of that really matters, though, does it? The point is, I'm updating, and I am sincerely sorry for the wait. I'm going to try and be more regular from now on, but sadly I don't think daily updates are in our future. This story is a little too intricate for that.**

* * *

The situation on planet 5872 in star system Epsilon is nothing short of a disaster.

No one is saying it in so many words, but they're all thinking it. If one were so inclined, she could taste it on the air.

There hasn't been a gathering of this many 9 Mohs gems in one place in… a very long time, if ever. Manufacturing gems of such high Mohs takes time and resources the empire simply can't afford to waste in large quantities, so their numbers are always low. They are spread thin throughout gem territory; once an emerald or a corundum emerges from the ground she is assigned to a planet in need of a Councilmember, given the appropriate data uploads, and promptly shipped over. That planet is where she lives and works for the rest of her natural existence. With the exception of exponents, a precious gem typically doesn't interact with her same-gem sisters.

What is currently happening on planet 5872, however, is perhaps the furthest thing from gemkind's norm.

Present today is planet 5872's Precious Council, of course, but there is also a secondary trio fresh from their respective kindergartens. That team is _too_ fresh, actually; their projections occasionally shimmer around the edges as if their coding has not properly settled into the atomic structure of their gems, as if their incubation was rushed for this (it probably was).

The Diamonds themselves are not physically here, though Yellow Diamond is graciously participating through a screen.

Then, of course, there are exponents like Sapphire.

The Authority also called in the rubies' exponent, she's noticed. It's hard to miss the presence at the other side of the Councilchamber like a raw wound. Defective rubies always feel like that.

Aside from the underripe kindergarten emerald (a not-so-subtle substitute for the current Councilmember, so the latter can hang back and experience less of a threat to her valuable person), there is conspicuous lack of extra emeralds and their exponents. It makes sense, though, if you think about it.

"I've sent in a quartz battalion to help you," Yellow Diamond is saying. Her features are, as always, stern. Yellow Diamond never smiles, not even in moments of triumph (which this most certainly is not). It's probably just not in her code. "They're sturdy soldiers, but considering what you will be facing, they will probably all fall. Use them to buy you time."

Only one of the pearls standing at attention along the far wall of the Councilchamber grimaces. She shouldn't have done even that; it is not a pearl's place to feel anything for any gem other than her owner.

"My rubies know what to do. Follow their orders. You have six rotations to clean this mess up."

With that, Yellow Diamond's visual goes dark. She is already doing other things.

"What _are_ we facing, anyway?" asks one of the new sapphires. She's as pink as a sunset in a primarily oxygen-dominated atmosphere. Her projection flickers just slightly, but she doesn't seem to feel it. The sapphire glances at the other undercooked gems in her team, and then at the established Precious Council of 5872.

"Simply put," the green hued sapphire Councilmember says. "Monsters. Creatures of destruction that possess no detectible intelligence or conscience."

"Our mission is to put them all down," says the ruby Councilmember, seamlessly picking up where her teammate leaves off. Her hue is a darker maroon than most rubies, but it makes her easy to pick out of a crowd. She's symmetrical, gem located at her sternum, and that's what matters.

"They have a Mohs of 8," the green sapphire adds. "Hence, why you're all here."

"So what's our battle strategy, then?" the newly formed ruby asks her same-gem sister. Her hue is the standard red, and so is the symmetrical placement of her gem. She'd be an ideal ruby, if not for the accelerated incubation time. "Do you have enough data to make one?"

"Exponentiation, primarily," says the maroon ruby, though she doesn't sound happy about it. Her mouth is set into a grim line. "A square will be able to make quick work of these monsters."

"So what's the point of the quartz battalion, then?"

"As Yellow Diamond said, to buy time. There are… quite a few monsters to be dealt with. We can't realistically take them all at once."

"What, exactly, are these things?" asks the newly formed emerald. It's the first thing she's said since arriving. Emeralds are not typically known for their outspokenness in crowds. "You say monster like gemkind has never encountered anything like them before."

"Because we haven't," the green sapphire replies. "These creatures… they're like no informational uploads we've ever experienced."

"You'll see what we mean soon enough," 5872's emerald assures the young clone, albeit grimly.

"So how do we know that an exponentiation can kill them?" asks Pink Sapphire skeptically. "What data is there to support such a hypothesis?"

"I managed to destroy one on my own," says the maroon ruby. "It stands to reason that doing so again will be much easier while exponentiated."

At Pink Sapphire's nod of approval for this logic, 5872's sapphire brushes her green fingers over the table interface. Immediately, a map of planet 5872's terrain appears. On it are a variety of shifting red markers. Most of them are clustered around the hastily erected walls of the kindergarten compound, the very rooms they are all occupying. Their group's presence is marked by a miniature symbol of the Diamond Authority. "These are the locations of the monsters, verified via satellite. As you can see, they seem to have a way of knowing where the highest concentration of gems are, and for all intents and purposes seem to be attracted to it. The quartz battalion has already landed here." Another emblem of the Diamond Authority appears at the outline of the hanger some eight kilometers away. "Their ship is fully equipped with firepower, both magic and technological, but from the Council's own encounters with these creatures we have found them largely immune to such attacks. Our only success was derived from when Ruby—" a clinical nod to the maroon Councilmember "—engaged one in direct combat."

"Looking at this, we could funnel the monsters' here using the quartz soldiers," says the new Ruby with a gesture to the natural gorge of the kindergarten that is much closer to their current location than the flight hanger holding the battalion. She flickers as she speaks, as if her very projection doubts her idea. "After that, they should be crowded in too densely to be much trouble, and we could pick them off one by one. We might not even need exponentiation."

"Ugh, just use a cube already!"

The voice is a new one, timbre high and yet strangely rough. All heads turn to the defective ruby that's been relentlessly pacing off to the side. She doesn't seem apprehensive as much as agitated. Bored. Impatient for the fight to begin.

"Have _you_ dealt with anything like this before?" asks 5872's maroon Councilmember. Her tone is skeptical—the rubies' exponent is small, about half the normal size for a gem of her class—but the question remains. "You've been around a lot longer than even I have."

This earns a brief exchange of looks between the freshly mined trio; they are obviously impressed by the exponent's longevity, though of course such young gems would be.

The exponent scoffs. Her size seems not to have affected her confidence. "If anyone had dealt with something like this before, there would be uploads available for it," she says—and it is a good point, as far as that goes. "You said you wanted the power to crush these things—what's more powerful than a cubed ruby?"

There is a deeply disturbed silence as the other gems absorb this suggestion. By the stars, they're actually _considering_ it, aren't they?

"Have you ever done a cube?" asks Green Sapphire. "Is such a thing even possible?"

"Of course it's possible!"

"It's possible, but a three-gem exponentiation would concentrate the monsters too densely," Sapphire says, since nobody else is bringing it up. If her tone comes across as withering—well, it _is_ a stupid idea. "If they are attracted to gems, having a triply compounded resonance would only make the attraction that much more potent. The battalion certainly wouldn't be able to hold their attention, and neither would the rest of us. Your cube would be overwhelmed and overrun before she had the space to destroy any of them. These creatures are far more numerous, and we need to use our limited resources to our advantage."

The other exponent immediately scowls. She's not used to having her suggestions spurned like this, clearly. It makes Sapphire wonder how long she's actually been an exponent. "If we're looking for _power_ —"

"We are looking for _efficiency_ above all else; raw power is not always the answer." Since she's already spoken up, and this group seems fairly ambivalent about letting exponents have their say, Sapphire floats over to the table interface. "May I?" she asks Green Sapphire.

The Councilmember steps aside, both eyes wide at either Sapphire's levitation or her behavior, it's hard to say. Sapphire knew she would, of course. Young gems are wont to bow to age and experience within their own caste; it is, in many ways, an error in their coding.

Sapphire taps the interface to produce the icons she needs. "Three squares and three 9 Mohs individuals on this side of the cluster, and the quartz battalion spread out along the other. That will be enough to keep their attention adequately divided while also still giving us the power we need to get rid of them. If the squares switch out every half day or so, we will also be able to maintain a steady extermination rate for the next six planetary rotations. That should be more than enough to eliminate all of them."

"You suggest that we use the quartz as distraction only?" asks the maroon Ruby.

"Of course not," says Sapphire. "Have them kill when they can, if they can. But quartz are never above a Mohs of 7, so it will be difficult for them. We cannot rely on their ability to eliminate much."

"I can't believe—you're not actually going to _listen_ to that, are you?" demands the asymmetrical ruby. Her voice has roughened, deepened, and yet it is still also oddly high pitched. She gestures violently with her left hand, the hand that is holding her gem. Her gem has a squarely cut facet, which is fitting considering how the rest of her projection—from her hair to the shape of her torso—follows this trend. "She's a _sapphire!"_

The ruby does not ever refer to her as a defect or an exponent. It is not a conspicuous sidestep of a glaringly obvious identifier, the way she handles it, but Sapphire notices anyway. In her many centuries of existence, she has only ever interacted with another exponent a handful of times. None of them seem to have forgotten who and what she is the way that this one does.

How has this ruby not gotten herself shattered by now? Sapphire would say it's all dumb luck, except luck doesn't exist.

Of course, none of this stops her from mentally brushing off the other gem's remarks. The other exponent is obviously short sighted; if they are not forged in the appropriate context, her opinions are hardly worth listening to.

"Yes, she's a sapphire," the maroon Councilmember allows. "But, having fought one of these creatures myself, I say her strategy has the highest likelihood of working."

 _Of course it does,_ Sapphire thinks. _I've already seen it happen_.

"Considering the data we currently have, I can concur," Green Sapphire says. Quick green fingers tap the interface and mock up the strategy that Sapphire suggested. "We should also start as soon as possible; planetary rotations here are quite short."

The defective Ruby makes a _noise_ that matches the sensation of her presence, raw and ungainly. Sapphire notices the underripe emerald flinch at it. The same pearl from earlier also twitches in reaction; Sapphire is beginning to get the impression that the latter belongs to an emerald after all. "Ugh, fine—let's just get this over with; I want to start smashing these things already."

"Yes, let's," says the newly mined Ruby. She cracks her knuckles gamely. "I've been looking forward to a good fight!"

Sapphire doesn't let it show, but inwardly she is not looking forward to meeting these creatures in real time. Having to see them all with future vision was bad enough the first time around, and she already knows this second time isn't going to be any easier for any of them.

Rubies will do as they do, though, whether she speaks up or not. Might as well just let it go.


End file.
